Precision Lens, owner ordered to pay $487M in false claims judgment
By 
Jeff Dale2023-05-18T18:57:00
A judge affirmed more than $487 million in penalties and damages against Cameron-Ehlen Group, operating as Precision Lens, and its owner Paul Ehlen after a jury found they filed tens of thousands of false claims to Medicare and violated the Anti-Kickback Statute.
The ruling of Judge Wilhelmina Wright of the District of Minnesota followed a February guilty verdict that found the defendants liable for paying kickbacks to ophthalmic surgeons to influence their use of Precision Lens products in Medicare-reimbursed cataract surgeries, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Monday in a press release.
The illicit inducements, per the DOJ, included private jet flights to destinations including Broadway shows in New York, the College Football National Championship Game in Miami, and the Masters golf tournament in Georgia. The defendants maintained a secret fund to finance the scheme, according to the DOJ.
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